florida Archives - wook wranglers https://wookwranglers.com/tag/florida/ Online magazine devoted to music festivals, lifestyles, fusion recipes, original art and all manner of wookish delights. Thu, 02 May 2024 23:03:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://i0.wp.com/wookwranglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screenshot-2020-10-22-at-10.00.48-PM-e1603722888544.png?fit=27%2C32&ssl=1 florida Archives - wook wranglers https://wookwranglers.com/tag/florida/ 32 32 171121953 Suwannee Resonate “24: Pedro’s Lost Journal https://wookwranglers.com/suwannee-resonate-24-pedros-lost-journal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=suwannee-resonate-24-pedros-lost-journal https://wookwranglers.com/suwannee-resonate-24-pedros-lost-journal/#respond Thu, 02 May 2024 22:38:22 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=6193 These are certainly strange and exciting times we are living in. Pull your head out...

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These are certainly strange and exciting times we are living in. Pull your head out of the sand and take a gander around. On the eve of the eclipse, it had finally come to pass and the prophecy fully revealed as gospel. As always, the festival season gears up in the sunshine state whilst the rest of the country languishes in the brisk embrace of lady winter, yet the the truth remains. A year after her introduction into the Hobo Kamp Fallout Shelter, Pedro and her bitter minions had returned to unfurl the Kamp Happiness banner at Suwannee Resonate at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. Same as it ever was, they’d come to join forces with family and strangers alike on the banks of Bullhorn Lake. Welcome back. It’s a time to recharge all the crystals, inside and out.

This is Suwannee Resonate. Famously one of the best get-downs of 2023. Ask anyone. And the Suwannee faithful were back and geared up for the needle drop. It’s the return of Pedro la Destructora and her front yard, dumpster fire. It’s a hot biscuit of a mess. Get in line. Take the money. He doesn’t bite, the check’s in the mail and I don’t do this with every guy. Refrain  from chasing after buses or women, you’ll get left behind every time.¹ Welcome to Suwannee Resonate “24: Pedro’s Lost Journal.

The following exerts from Pedro’s Lost journal. Recovered, at great loss of life, from the Garifuna jungles of coastal Honduras, all entries have been recounted verbatim. Believe what you want but some things cannot be unread.

From The the Lost Journal of Pedro la Destructora, “The Book of Forgotten Tomorrows” 2024.

Tuesday: Arriving to Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. Desolate, quiet, dark park at quarter to 11. Just in time. No food or pee breaks allowed on this journey unless one wishes to slumber upright at the Bee and that’s a no. The science checks out on the science not checking out. New rule: Show up too late for entrance or check in…sleep at the Bee. STOP.
Ran into park royalty Ted and his beautiful corgi pup Emmy. Roped him into agreeing to a Kamp Happiness golf cart acquisition for Saturday. En route, talked to the consigliere, who mentioned a creepy man in a school bus, which marched Ted’s description. Thankfully catastrophe was avoided as it was another person. Lot’s of greasy busses out there.
-Dear Rico from Stone Mountain, GA sees me fumbling with a tent in the dark and brings his eBike headlights to assist. Much obliged. A rainy, windy night with 40 mph gusts ensued. #floridaspring #hashtagdon’tgetarrestedinvolusiacounty
Wednesday: Due to poor planning and a lack of remaining warnings, I had to commute daily to the McD’s in Live Oak for proper work duties Wed-Fri. What a torturous experience, leaving the park for 8 hours a day. There is a small silver lining for those KH folks as they have built in courier service, cheap ice and a steamer sack of Krystals is always appreciated. I head back to the park on lunch only to find Cody and Bobby fully set up right across from Bullhorn Lake. Cody was expected but Bobby was a nice surprise. By quitting time, Martha had already joined us with reckless abandon of another bunk fluff batch. Emma Jay’s hashtag van life glass blowing extravaganza blessed us with her presence later that afternoon. Kamp Happiness girl power was in full effect. STOP.
Thursday: I looped Emma into a 2 hr round trip drive to my wife’s place for another car load of assorted trash with promises of seeing a week old baby donkey. Emma supervised the loading of the car beautifully. Property tour was had including gathering of a fresh eggs for camp. Emma convinced Pedro to stop at the Lake City Chilis for one last proper meal of a stack of lips, curly maple surprise and one hamburger, hold the onions. STOP.
Future Joy, Suwannee Resonate 2024. Photo by Jay Strausser.
Friday: Holy Jill who continues to call me “father” has joined fray mid-morning, traveling from the Gamecock state. Met her at in the forest at Scamp last year. Pure amazement of how quickly these folks latch on.  Secret: Jill was a youth pastor as of 3 years ago but has since come to the dark side, reveling in all things hedonistic for 2 full days. Pedro was distraught that she had to leave Jill to her own devices in a new place while at the salt minds of McD’s. Thankfully Jill will be joining us at Hulaween for the real party.
Wait, there’s music at this party?
The KH banner was finally hung up. The Fred Sanford front yard garbage pile strikes again. Chromeo anyone, or maybe you’re unsure as to where to funk lies. Don’t be afraid of the Chromeo.
Saturday:
To do:
Trading post
Quit job
Future Joy
Auxiliary fire
Roadside seating
Search for bullhorn in lake
Lights
River bath
All were complete by night’s end, many thanks to all KH participants that assisted with our duties of repping KH. Didn’t even have to lift a finger on the auxiliary fire, Bobby pulls out some odd, pointy shovel to assist with movement of the fires.
It was quickly evident who had the machismo to man a trading post. Rubber duck for a sticker? In what world? Dominic appeared Saturday evening, We had given up hope that he was present. Many fireside visits were had, in search of a passerby with a cigarette. It is Saturday, after all.
The hottest item of the evening was a brand new pair of retro, groovy mushroom Vans shoes. We even offered Cinderella style fitting to find their rightful owner. Unfortunately Jess Greaves had her hand in the pot. Many know that Pedro runs the fairest of trading tables, we had so many interested parties in these shoes that she had to put them in layaway with a final offering/duel at 12 pm on Sunday as no one had worthwhile items for such a prized item. Jess stumbles by a distraught daughter(first fest) of the laser fox folks who mention a gal with a mustache that won’t take their trade for the Vans. Through incessant badgering, Pedro had enough and gave them to the youth as a token of good will towards the younger festival generation. Much huffing by Pedro. Pedro reminisced greatly over this very trading post, the location of meeting her wife over the trading table at last year’s resonate over a Whitney Houston t shirt. Stay tuned for wedding announcements and invitations to Pedro/Uncommon streetwalker’s wedding at this years Hula, Lucy to officiate. Gifts welcomed. Unfortunately due to livestock issues, the streetwalker was unable to attend. A true tragedy indeed.
2am smoke and fire emergency signals dated from 1984 created the wondrous Resonate grand finale. Dominic the river pirate attempted to ignite some leftover incendiary’s from Scamp with little luck, humidity be damned.

Clock was erected and chimed correctly each hour. Renegades aplenty. Emma crushed lot. A cute kid even though her parents were first cousins. The KH security team used radios to police the thugs from Jacksonville and keep the flags safe. Honorable mention: Andy Davenport of the Tiny Show.

Once again, the Mississppi blue-ribbon goes to Future Joy for bringing the ultimate A game. Emily and Zack for the win.

Colby’s famous gumbo
1 diced onion
1 diced green pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs
2 lbs smoked sausage
2 qts broth/stock
2/3 pint roux
No celery? No okra? No file? Sounds sketch…
It all began at Old Soul Brewing in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida. And now you know the rest of the story.

Martha’s Soup Kitchen (Cooler of good intentions)
Things wasted:
8 rolls of cooler water laden cinnamon rolls
6 trays of refrigerated pizza bagels
12 cheesy scrambled eggs
6 lbs of Cajun aka blackened style aka burnt chicken wings

Bobby and I tear off with Ted’s golf cart and dog on Saturday for an adventure, capturing our first and only Jolly Roger of the weekend – a special Irish variant of a Jolly Roger with clover, leprechauns and an Irish flag background. Later to be stolen from KH, Dom swears it was not him. Emmy the dog is a park celebrity and passerby engage with the dog more than they do the people
Reminder: Don’t fall asleep with your shoes on or you’ll be taped to the chair.
Pedro’s Resonate rules of the Circle K? Trading post:
1. This is a trading post, not a leave one take one. All transactions are supervised and haggled.
2. No stickers.
3. No Mexicans.
4. The Lemonade Merchant is never in charge.
Future Joy, Suwannee Resonate 2024. Photo by Jay Strausser.

Thanks to Karla for including the wranglers and Paul for hosting some of the most ferocious parties in the Orion Cluster. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is home to Kamp Happiness and we are proud to be its stewards. Keep up with the wrangler elite as we head to Chillicothe for Solshine Reverie and then to Mountain Music Festival in West Virginia. The festival season is upon us in a most brutal and beautiful way.

Beware the morality police. Do not abide their flimsy whims. And beware the expectation monster. Visit last years gibberish with Resonate “23: A Truly Beautiful Picture and like the wranglers social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Thanks for believing in science.


References

¹ Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, directed by Simon Wincer (1991; Los Angeles, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

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Suwannee Roots Revival Announces “24 Lineup https://wookwranglers.com/suwannee-roots-revival-announces-24-lineup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=suwannee-roots-revival-announces-24-lineup https://wookwranglers.com/suwannee-roots-revival-announces-24-lineup/#respond Tue, 23 Apr 2024 22:25:27 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=6250 Reviving and carrying on the longtime tradition of hosting some of the most prominent names...

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Reviving and carrying on the longtime tradition of hosting some of the most prominent names in American roots music and beyond, the 8th Suwannee Roots Revival takes place Thursday, October 10 – Sunday, October 13 at the renowned Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, Florida. The Suwannee Roots Revival initial lineup for 2024 includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Yonder Mountain String Band, Donna the Buffalo (4 days), Peter Rowan Band, Della Mae, Henhouse Prowlers, The Ain’t Sisters, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Blair Crimmins & The Hookers, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Sloppy Joe, Quartermoon, Kamp Happiness, Magic Moon Traveling Circus, and more artists to be announced soon!
Jam-packed with stellar music and dance on multiple stages, this family-friendly festival includes four days of music, camping, yoga, music workshops, a Kids Tent, and more. Suwannee Roots Revival focuses on showcasing established as well as up-and-coming roots musicians throughout the weekend, often with some one-of-a -kind collaborations among the artists performing—you never know who will give a surprise sit-in on stage (or in the campgrounds for that matter). There’s an open call to play in the many campground pickin’ party sites throughout the weekend including Kamp Happiness, Slopryland and the Bill Monroe Shrine.
Stay tuned for further news about a wide range of hand-on workshops on the Music Farmers Stage, sponsored by the festival’s nonprofit arm, Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF). There will be a raffle to raise money for LOMAF, which is earmarked for music and arts programs locally in North Florida schools and includes the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp.
Placing a strong emphasis on embracing the traditions that have made the park a national treasure, there will be a wide array of arts & crafts as well as culinary delights ranging from healthy to decadent in the Vending Village. The park itself is a place where kids of all ages can remember why they fell in love with the magic mixture of sights, sounds, and sensations that constitutes a weekend of paradise that is the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

When asked for a quote about Suwannee Roots Revival 2024, Festival Director Beth Judy said that she would say many things about the festivals but this email to her from Annah Garrett with Henhouse Prowlers says what she hears often from others. Annah says “Witnessing what you and Randy built from a unique perspective is an experience I hold near and dear to my heart. Even coming in so many years down the road, I became immediately enveloped in the love and community unlike any other I have experienced in the many festivals and events I have been a part of. There is a sense of belonging and passion that permeates the magical grounds, especially during your shows. Both the band and I are very excited to return.”
Donna the Buffalo, who has performed each spring and fall event since the early days in the late 1990’s Spoke with Florida Music Blog at this past year’s Suwannee Spring Reunion. Tara Nevins said, “this is basically our family here,” and Jeb Puryear continues, “We’re really grateful to Beth Judy and Randy for keeping this really good for a long time. People might take that for granted but it is really more of a challenge than people might think.”
Festival Director Beth Judy says “From the very beginning, in 1997, with our first festival at SOSMP, we set an intention of a community of love and healing and music and positive impact on the lives of the people who were there. And we attracted those people who needed that in their lives, and many of them are still coming. The Suwannee Roots Revival is a current version of the events we began so long ago when music festivals were just starting to pop up again after Jerry’s passing. SpringFest and MagFest had changed and evolved over the years and now we are gathering everyone together for the big Reunion and Revival of what commenced during those early years.”
Set in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, the venue is a playground and the festival celebrates community based fun, growing friendships, laughing families, and that feel-good feeling you get from hanging out in such a beautiful natural setting. This is the place to make new memories with friends old and new while gathering in a picturesque setting breathing in the songs that fill the air… as they say at SOSMP: “Music Lives Here.”
Tickets are on sale now. Suwannee Roots Revival offers a multi-day Weekend Ticket that includes festival admission for four days of music, as well as primitive camping on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Early Bird Tier 3 Tickets are $175 (includes fees and taxes); Student / Military Early Bird Tier 3 are $160 (with a valid ID). Early Bird pricing ends June 20th. An additional event car pass is required to bring a car into the campground. Advance Car Pass: $15 or $20 at the Gate. For complete ticket information and to purchase tickets, visit suwanneerootsrevival.com/tickets/.
SOSMP offers guest comforts including a general store, full service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms, and water stations. Upgraded camping, including RV hook ups and cabin rentals, as well as golf cart rentals are currently on sale. Reservations may be made by calling the Park office at (386) 364­-1683. SOSMP is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia State line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events. Please visit the park’s web site at www.musicliveshere.com for further information.
Suwannee Roots Revival 2024 Initial Lineup: Old Crow Medicine Show, Yonder Mountain String Band, Donna the Buffalo (4 days), Peter Rowan Band, Della Mae, Henhouse Prowlers, The Ain’t Sisters, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Blair Crimmins & The Hookers, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Sloppy Joe, Kamp Happiness, Quartermoon, Poohville, Magic Moon Traveling Circus and more artists to be announced soon!
For more information, tickets, and to reserve camping, visit the Roots website and like their social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. Revisit some of the vibrations of Suwannee Spring Reunion “24. Free yourself from the firmament.

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Sol Fest Music & Arts Festival 2024 Phase 2 Lineup https://wookwranglers.com/sol-fest-music-arts-festival-2024-phase-2-lineup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sol-fest-music-arts-festival-2024-phase-2-lineup Fri, 01 Mar 2024 18:39:29 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5970 Welcome to the vortex. Sol Fest Music & Arts Festival has unveiled its star-studded Phase 2...

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Welcome to the vortex. Sol Fest Music & Arts Festival has unveiled its star-studded Phase 2 lineup for the 2024 edition, taking place from Thursday, May 2 – Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the event’s new venue Vortex Spring in Ponce de Leon, Florida. Join Kamp Happiness and it’s busload of wooklings as we venture to our first Sol Fest for a weekend of debaucherous, silly fun.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

The third edition of Sol Fest will feature multiple stages but no overlapping sets, allowing attendees to catch every single performance without potential scheduling conflicts

The event will also host a plethora of expertly-curated back-to-back sets, including the first-ever b2b set from Dirt Monkey and Smoakland.

Thursday, May 2 – Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Vortex Spring in Ponce de Leon, FL
Sol Fest invites early arrival pass-holders to enjoy a ‘Welcome Party at the Waterpark’ on Wednesday, May 1, which will be hosted by regional bass label/collective Wubaholics

 

Sol Fest’s Phase 2 lineup announcement welcomes the addition of three new headliners making their festival debuts; electronic-funk duo Big Gigantic, high-octane bass maestro NGHTMRE, and experimental bass virtuoso Peekaboo. These Phase 2 heavy-hitters join the ranks of previously-announced headliners REZZ, CloZee (two sets), LSDREAM, Bob Moses (club set), Dabin, Dr. Fresch, Elderbrook, G Jones, Lettuce, Of The Trees, and Barclay Crenshaw, setting the scene for Sol Fest to deliver their most impressive lineup to date.The Phase 2 billing also boasts debut festival performances from talented support acts like Subsidia Records favorite Jantsen, as well as progressive rock/livetronica pioneers Papadosio who will mesmerize fans during their special sunset set.To celebrate its third annual edition, Sol Fest will feature multiple stages but no overlapping sets, allowing attendees to catch every single performance without potential scheduling conflicts. Revelers will enjoy a seamless experience of world-class music from start to finish, free from the typical festival conundrum of picking and choosing between simultaneous sets.

Sol Fest: Photo by First Photo 2023.

Sol Fest’s robust lineup showcases the festival’s continued commitment to curating dynamic musical experiences, helmed by a plethora of expertly curated back-to-back performances. The festival is excited to host the first-ever b2b set from dubstep star Dirt Monkey and Bay Area bass duo Smoakland, as well as debut US joint performances from drum n’ bass pioneer Netsky and Australian selector Luude; experimental bass producer IMANU and California-based beatmaker Machinedrum; and Perth-based producer Skeler and trap virtuoso Deadcrow.On top of his two solo performances, London-based grime MC and record producer Flowdan will also make special appearances during Claude VonStroke’s bass alias Barclay Crenshaw’s set, as well as Peekaboo’s rip-roaring set.

In addition to Sol Fest’s four stacked days of music programming, the festival will also be throwing a Welcome Party at the Waterpark pre-party on Wednesday for anyone who purchases a Wednesday early arrival pass. The soiree will be hosted by local bass label/collective Wubaholics, and will feature a b2b performance from ALLEYCVT alongside a yet-to-be-revealed artist, plus captivating sets by Superfuture, STVSH, Meduso, OkayJake, Lumasi, and Raaket.Beyond LSDREAM’s headlining performance, the innovative artist will also showcase a special Lightcode set: an immersive sonic healing experience featuring original music, guided meditations, and sound baths.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

Sol Fest welcomes attendees to get wet and wild at the daily waterpark parties, which will be hosted by acts like singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Two Feet (Thursday), Canadian glitch-hop duo The Funk Hunters/CloZee’s Odyzey imprint (Friday), Dr. Fresch’s House Call Records (Saturday), and Smoakland (Sunday).Standout acts from the festival’s Phase 1 lineup include; genre-blending keyboard/drummer duo Break Science, Atlanta electro-soul artist Daily Bread, bass experimentalist Eprom, boundary-pushing producer/guitarist Emancipator, Denver-based electro-soul artist Manic Focus, heady bass master Opiuo, British producer/singer-songwriter Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set), sound design-oriented bass producer Yheti, and joyful bass queen Maddy O’Neal.

The festival’s new home of Vortex Spring in Ponce De Leon, Florida, will offer attendees a 500+ acre recreational paradise The magic of Sol Fest is rounded out by Sol Sunday: the festival’s annual memorial segment that pays homage to their dear friend Quentin “Sol” Rupp, a passionate festival-goer who passed away at the age of 26. Sol Sunday includes, amongst other things, a special interactive sun lantern effigy burn and slideshow, where attendees can honor those in their own lives who have passed. The spirit of Sol Sunday reflects the ethos that Sol Fest has made its identity: an inclusive, close-knit event that from top to bottom represents community, equality, and diversity – including for women and LGBTQ rights.

Sol Fest will also feature live and digital art installations, murals, hologram water screen shows, therapeutic workshops such as breathwork, yoga, and sound healing, as well as other daytime activities and games such as Frick Frack Blackjack, Sonic Portal, disc golf, tie-dying, and body marbling – a list that further highlights the festival’s dedication to emotional and social wellness. Additionally, there will be 40+ food, merch, and craft vendors onsite for camping, snorkeling, and diving. The venue boasts six water slides, beachfront relaxation, and opportunities for activities like cave diving and tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Amenities include a dive shop and general store, where you can get scuba and snorkeling gear.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

The Vortex Spring campground will include shaded pine forest glamping and camping options, in addition to on-site showers, restrooms, and housing. The standard 4-Day GA Ticket grants access to festival attractions like waterslides, swimming, and the river float zone, along with amenities such as the general store and tube rental shop.VIP ticket holders enjoy elevated privileges. The 4-Day VIP Ticket includes access to an exclusive indoor lounge with secret sets, VIP viewing at the main stage, and VIP-only restrooms and bar, among other perks. Meanwhile, the 5-Day VIP+ Ticket extends benefits with catering, balcony access, daily drink tickets, and early waterpark entry.For camping, options range from basic to luxurious. Primitive GA Car Camping offers four nights in a 20×20 space, while VIP Celestial Camping provides premium placement, air-conditioned facilities, showers, and beauty vendors near the festival entrance.Sol Fest offers various RV and Glamping options for attendees. While all options provide a 20×50 space, Primitive RV Camping is without utilities, while the Power RV pass includes a power hookup. The Shaded Power/Water RV pass offers a shaded space with power and water hookups near the festival entrance.For Glamping, the VIP Glamping Package includes (2) VIP 4-day passes, (2) Wednesday early arrival passes, parking for 1 vehicle, and (4) nights in a pre-set bell tent with amenities. The Celestial Campground VIP+ Glamping Package upgrades to VIP+ passes with the aforementioned VIP+ amenities.Additionally, a Group Camping option provides a 4,000 sq ft area for 10 vehicles, ideal for larger groups.

Visit the Sol Fest website and like their social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and X. The science checks out. Visit the wook wranglers archives and revisit our Sol Fest preview article. See you in the back to the left.                                                       Namaste y’all.

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Vibrations of Suwannee Spring Reunion “24 https://wookwranglers.com/vibrations-of-suwannee-spring-reunion-24/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vibrations-of-suwannee-spring-reunion-24 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:00:01 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=6094 “Everything in Life is Vibration” – Albert Einstein Welcome back to Spirit of Suwannee Music Park...

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“Everything in Life is Vibration” – Albert Einstein

Welcome back to Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in beautiful Live Oak, Florida and the sixth annual Suwannee Spring Reunion. On March 21-24, 2024 the old guard answered the call, reported for duty and got all the way down for another perfect weekend of friends, folk, Americana and the bluest of grasses. Headliners Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Steep Canyon Rangers, Peter Rowan, Donna the Buffalo, Keller and the Hillbenders and more got the wheels rolling in a party steeped with home grown music and family reunion fun. Some of this year’s favorites included the Ain’t Sisters, Nikki Talley, Verlon Thomspon and the always incomparable Free Range Strange. The musical vibrations throughout the forest were absolutely nonstop and the collection of parties lingered long into night.

For many, the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is home base and where the festival journey began. Lucy and Moonshine had been coming since 2002 and as many new people continued to join the party, there were aspects of it that would always remain the same. It’s a blessed reminder as to why many of us work in the festival business at all. In a world where the gears of industry and the machine of man grind forth in a nonstop march, this place is the acorn that becomes and remains the oak. The alpha and the omega. It’s a frequency realignment. It’s the Vibrations of Suwannee Spring Reunion “24.

Why Spring Reunion at Suwannee? Same as it ever was. Hippies still washed in the cold Suwannee River and lounged on the sand hill. Fruitcakes with golf carts still made laps with their dogs. Musicians still came together and provided the heartbeat and backdrop of a forest party frameworked by home grown music. It was still Vassar Sunday and all was right with the world. Even Pepe Greybraids managed to arrive and park without getting stuck in some lost mud hole while trying to shear his arm from the bone.

The Music: Some takeaways from the weekend were the Habanero Honeys, John Stickley Trio, Dr. Thermometer’s Sunday brunch Grateful Dead set live from the Palmetto Room Holiday Inn Surfside, Kamp Happiness West. How about the Ain’t Sisters? They seemed to be everywhere, playing with everyone. Light on their feet, swift and sure footed. Blowing in like a light breeze and leaving the space filled with harmonies and smiles.

It’s high time you got a frequency realignment. There’s some silly stuff happening here. Someone is throwing tomatoes at the hippies and just in time for a hot plate breakfast. Did someone say sausage heated up to 140 degrees and beignet crumbs in your mustache? I’ll have what she’s having.

The Family: Immerse yourself in the Jason waterfall. Theyometer, The Sgt., the Savage, Rikkki, Shanaenae, Pedro, Bfly, Spacebug, Farmer Brown, the Mooses, Tera and David the Spinner. They came from all over for the amalgamation at the lake. A sacred space where the celebrations include the ghosts of those who danced here before.

The Park: From the Loop to the Farm Field, from the river to the waterfall. The painted bridge to the playground. Even Moonshine slept under a real roof for the first time ever. Moving on up to where the beans do not burn. The call of the owls ringing through the early morning just as the last of the R&D team decides to push through sunrise and find some Tia Maria for the coffee.

Suwannee River Pirates: Bfly scored her first booty somewhere down Hippy Road only to have it harvested by the River Pirates. They apparently moved in sometime before sunrise and pillaged both of the Jolly Rogers in the middle of the family jam. Needless to say, the camp security team has recent openings. Their effort and security net could best be described as “porous”. Watch for rusty bear traps at our next event. Is there any such thing as a reverse pirating? Or the triple cross? Now there is.

Any noise one hears is simply a vibration that excites the air. With a vibration that is random, the noise tends to be confused or unmusical. We live and learn. Vibrationally, it might be as high as 963 Hz to get to 369 Hz, but it’s experimental at this point.

The Law of Vibration states that anything that exists in our universe, whether seen or unseen, consists of pure energy or light and exists as a vibrational frequency or pattern.

 

Thanks to all who contributed to the KH Family Jam. The minions who brought the almost nonstop jams throughout the weekend. And then it was The Ain’t Sisters closing things out with Donna the Buffalo. Sunday slid into the shadows as Lucy’s condition deteriorated until she needed a satellite map to find the nearest water closet. Welcome to the meltdown.

She was hoping for a verbal warning, but if a written one has to go on file, she understood. Low vibration is the mind-killer.

Real Questions: Nate, never one to shy away from the hard questions asked, “How many chuga-chugas go before the choo choo?” How many squirrels would it take to detain a raccoon? Boots on the ground, this is where original data is collected. Next up, synthesis, analysis and publication.

Thanks to Banjovi from Poohville for lending his sultry banjo stylings to the family jam. It’s good to work with professionals for a change. Like the lustrous Lady Bailey for her continued, stellar effort and constant patience. It’s good to see her up and about. And the rash is almost completely gone.

Vibration can also be either harmonic or random, just like people. He’d worked hard his whole life to arrive at this very point. His radio wasn’t charged and his megaphone had no batteries, yet he appeared perfectly professional. Welcome to the pocket. “Get Jesus on the main line and tell him what you want.”

Their Strangeness (FRS) Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024. Photo by the Wranglers.

The good news. As band members continued to go hoarse from the dust and the squawking, fresh meat would show up daily with a fresh set of pipes. Even when it seemed as if someone was about to go mute, their mutant power of prolonged volume would naturally kick back in. Stamina is key.

Hattie Craven, Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024. Photo by Laurie Dyer.

“We’ve got to shine that penny.”

This is Kamp Happiness and we can help you with that vibration. Stagnant? Pallypesthesia? Only at the Fallout Shelter can you heed the matchup of the year and the finals of the Twerk Off Invitational, Dr. T versus Ka’aoli the Innocent. The sacrifice and training all lead to this.The winner gets a free moonlight charging of the perineum and a pint of bear grease for the beard braids. Or maybe you need to be charged by the sun. It’s time to join the old man’s club and don tactical suspenders. The Rose Moon does not tolerate the low vibration. It’s a frequency alignment. Just sit back and let it happen.

A vibrating motion can be oscillating, reciprocating, or periodic.

Vassar Sunday: Sunday’s energy was a glistening display of Suwannee at its best. Beautiful weather and beautiful souls graced the terra firma. Hammocks and lawn chairs scattered hither and yon. Children scurrying about, old people kissing. The Amphitheater Stage at Suwannee is a special place to play and bear witness.

SRP, Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024. Photo by Jaime Bfly.

 

Vibración Entero. The prophecy is coming true. The innocent will become the guilty. They will apologize for they see that their behavior is not becoming. Beware the the vibe kill.

It’s true. Sometimes new friends are made in strange ways.

Hit up the Suwannee Spring Reunion website and revisit the glorious poster art by Marci Davis. Visit the Suwannee Roots Revival website for the fall lineup and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X. The science checks out.

Thanks to Randy and Beth for creating a space for the magik to happen and Erin at Dreamspider for letting the wranglers help spread the word. This is where we learned to dot the Ts and cross the Is.

Shanks to Laurie Dyer for allowing us to use her photographs and being a cornerstone of love and style in the forest. David the Spinner, Lightnin’ and Sarah, Mateo, this park has many stewards. So many pieces that make up the mosaic of gossamer eloquence. After seeing many of the camping/music venues around the country, it remains true that the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is one of the finest places to experience the festival. Believe what you want. This is the cradle.

Beware the expectation monster. He is not a certified advanced salvage-diver. By now you must know what to do. All of the answers are within you. Visit the portal that is Roadtrip Mojo and find out why their brand of traveling is ever “contagious”.

Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024. Photo by Laurie Dyer.

Keep up with the wranglers as Pedro leads the Kamp Happiness squad into Suwannee Resonate right back into the heart of the forest. #girlpower The summer is filling up quickly with world-famous destinations like Sol Fest, Mountain Music Festival, Solshine Reverie, Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain, FloydFest and Electric Forest. Tightening the screws on life.

Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024. Photo by Laurie Dyer.

This festival season is bursting forth into a turbid froth of unfettered gibberish. Really? Where are the clouds converging in this maelstrom? Anywhere? Maybe it’s all just sand castles at low tide but there is certainly a tingle in the air. See you out there.

Run that baby.

#myhandsareup #dontshoot

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“24 Suwannee Spring Reunion Schedule Announced! https://wookwranglers.com/24-suwannee-spring-reunion-schedule-announced/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=24-suwannee-spring-reunion-schedule-announced Thu, 22 Feb 2024 18:16:01 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5951 Things are heating up in the south as the Florida Spring Festival Season continues. The...

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Things are heating up in the south as the Florida Spring Festival Season continues. The Suwannee Spring Reunion takes place Thursday through Sunday, March 21-24 at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP). Set in the midst of 800 acres of majestic Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, this family-friendly festival boasts four days and nights of music rooted in Americana, newgrass, bluegrass, folk, blues, and more. Featuring music on multiple stages, with many repeat performers throughout the weekend, “24 Suwannee Spring Reunion Schedule Announced!
“Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, would seem the most unlikely of bluegrass epicenters, but legends and new stars alike flock there every spring for an in-the-know festival,” wrote Rolling Stone.
This stellar lineup promises an exciting start to the long weekend’s festivities with Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders headlining Thursday night—bringing bluegrass versions of Tom Petty Hits; get ready to sing along at SOSMP’s gorgeous Amphitheater Stage. Prior to PettyGrass the Amphitheater Stage are The Steels Wheels, who are rolling into Florida with a brand new album, Sideways, in hand— they also perform in the Music Hall later that night. Alt-country honky-tonk rebels Town Mountain (also bringing a fresh new release: Dance Me Down Easy: The Woodstock Sessions EP), will close out the night on the Amp Stage with their first set of the weekend (Thu/Fri).
Over on the Porch Stage on Thursday we see the first sets of the weekend from Country-soul rocker Leon Timbo & The Family Band (Thu/Fri), the soul-folk of Hattie & Joe Craven Trio (Thur/Fri/Sat), and the first set from The Grass is Dead (Thu/Sun). Sloppy Joe opens the festival at 4pm on the Amphitheater stage and can also be heard throughout the weekend on various stages and in the campground at their own, open call, pickin’ party site—Slopryland.
Before the legendary Sam Bush takes center stage on Friday night, Americana blues icon Bettye Lavette makes her stage debut at the Park on the Amphitheater Stage. With their first set of the weekend, Railroad Earth (Fri/Sat) closes up the late night on the Amp Stage. In the midst of all that goodness on Friday—and in between the aforementioned sets—over on The Porch Stage will be Darrell Scott (also playing Sat), Town Mountain, and the first of a few sets from roots rockin’ troubadours Donna the Buffalo (Fri/Sat/Sun).
Saturday night is a double dose with Railroad Earth returning The Amp Stage, preceded by what is sure to be a soul-stirring set of mountain music by Steep Canyon Rangers. Donna the Buffalo is sure to keep everybody dancing to the wee hours, closing the stage late-night.
Saturday on the Porch Stage we see the first sets of the weekend by Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band (Peter Rowan, Chris Henry, David Mansfield III, David Grier, Mike Bub, Larry Atamanuik); and The Mosier Brothers Band (featuring Jeff Mosier’s Scruggs’-style banjo prowess and Johnny Mosier’s rockin guitar chops, founders of Blueground Undergrass—a former Suwannee staple act (Fri/Sat/Sun)). Also on the Porch on Saturday is rising bluegrass star Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers. Currently on tour with a new album: Tales of Misfortune, Helms makes his Suwannee debut Friday in the Dance Tent.
Sunday, dubbed “Vassar Sunday” by regular attendees and staff, is a musical day of gathering, celebration, and rememberance of those who came and played before (Vassar Clements, Sue Cunninham, Guy Clark, Col. Bruce Hampton, just to name a few) and those who carry on the traditions of what started at the park way back in 1997. Fueled with anticipation, Donna the Buffalo will close out the evening with a special set—bringing up to the stage just about every artist who is left at the fest. Other performances that day leading into the finale include Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The Mosier Brothers, and Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band.
The weekend is jam-packed with multiple sets by many at all of the festival stages (Amphitheater Stage, Porch Stage, Dance Tent Stage, Music Hall, & Music Farmers Stage) Along with some of those mentioned above, there will be multiple sets by Jim Lauderdale (Sat/Sun), Verlon Thompson (Fri/Sat/Sun), Roy Book Binder (Fri/Sat), Shawn Camp (Fri/Sat), Seth Walker (Fri/Sat), Jon Stickley Trio (Fri/Sat),  Fireside Collective (Fri/Sat), David Grier (Fri), Nikki Talley Band (Thu, Sun), Free Range Strange (Sat), Habanero Honeys (Sat), Quartermoon (Fri/Sat and throughout the weekend hosting campground pickin’ at the Bill Monroe Shrine), John Mailander: Artist-at-Large through the weekend, and Magic Moon Traveling Circus.
Something special to note about the lineup is that it includes artists with storied histories of epic Suwannee performances over the years. Matching the history on the stage, longtime park hosts, Randy and Beth Judy, are partnered with the Spirit of the Suwannee to make sure that every piece needed to make an epic weekend. It is home to generations of families who have gathered year after year to experience that shared connection to the music and the commitment to the notion of something bigger than ourselves.
Festival Director Beth Judy says “From the very beginning, in 1997, with our first festival at SOSMP (SpringFest), we set an intention of a community of love and healing and music and positive impact on the lives of the people who were there. And we attracted those people who needed that in their lives, and many of them are still coming. The Suwannee Spring Reunion is a new version of the events we began so long ago when music festivals were just starting to pop up again after Jerry’s passing. SpringFest and MagFest had changed and evolved over the years and now we are gathering everyone together for the  big reunion and revival of what commenced during those early years.”
“There’s this unique, communal spirit here, where it’s homelike for us,” says Sam Bush in an interview with Rolling Stone’s Garret Woodward. “And you find yourself thinking about some of our brethren that aren’t here anymore, but especially Vassar [Clements] — he ruled this place.”
“‘It was probably around 2004 [when we first played the park],” Steep Canyon Rangers singer-banjoist Graham Sharp tells Woodward, ‘We’ve been able to trace our band and its evolution through this festival, from being a traditional bluegrass band to being whatever the hell we are now — this place is a natural home for that.’”
They say the stars come out at night. And at Suwannee that is not only true in seeing the clear nighttime skies, but also throughout the park. Many of the festival musicians convene in the campgrounds when things light up at night. There are literally dozens of theme camps, many of them with clever fun names, that have their own style and vibe. There will also be daily Umalumina Yoga with Rhonda Bell.
The Suwannee Spring Reunion community has something going on around the clock. That said, if sleep is important to you, there are plenty of camping areas where it’s low key, so sleep is a possibility. No recorded or amplified music is permitted in the campground during this festival, so any music happening is live and acoustic.
A couple of workshops in the Music Hall to watch out for are The Devil’s Box – A Fiddle Workshop with
Joe Craven, John Mailander & Lyndsay Pruett (Fri) and Colby T Helms is leading a workshop on guitar influences and styles (Sat).
Stay tuned for further news about a wide range of hand-on workshops on the Music Farmers Stage, sponsored by the festival’s nonprofit arm, Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF). There will be a raffle to raise money for LOMAF, which is earmarked for music and arts programs locally in North Florida schools and includes the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp.
Multi-day Weekend Tickets include primitive camping. Prices go to the next tier on March 1. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Military/Student discounts available as well as RV upgrades, golf carts, and other amenities. For complete ticket information, visit www.suwanneespringreunion.com/Tickets.
Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024 Lineup & Days Performing:
Sam Bush (Fri), Railroad Earth (Fri/Sat), Steep Canyon Rangers (Sat), Peter Rowan Walls of Time Band (Sat/Sun), Donna the Buffalo (Fri/Sat/Sun), Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders (Thu), Bettye LaVette (Fri), The Steel Wheels (Thu x 2), Darrell Scott (Fri/Sat), Town Mountain (Thu/Fri), Seth Walker (Fri/Sat), Jon Stickley Trio (Fri/Sat), Fireside Collective (Fri/Sat), Jim Lauderdale (Sat/Sun), Donna the Buffalo with Jim Lauderdale (Sat), Verlon Thomson with Jim Lauderdale (Sat), Verlon Thompson  (Fri/Sat/Sun), Shawn Camp (Fri/Sat), Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson (Sat), Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson doing the songs of Guy Clark (Fri), The Mosier Brothers Band (Fri/Sat/Sun), The Grass Is Dead (Thu/Sun), Roy Book Binder (Thu/Fri/Sat), Hattie & Joe Craven Trio (Thu/Fri/Sat), David Grier (Fri), Leon Timbo & The Family Band (Thu/Fri), Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers (Fri/Sat), Nikki Talley Band (Thu/Sun), Free Range Strange (Sat x2), Sloppy Joe (all), Quartermoon (all), Habanero Honeys (Sat), John Mailander: Artist At Large (all), Magic Moon Traveling Circus
For more information, please visit the Spring Reunion website. Like their Facebook page and be on the look out for the Suwannee Roots Revival lineup announcement. Music Lives Here.

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Sol Fest Moves to the Sunshine State https://wookwranglers.com/sol-fest-moves-to-the-sunshine-state/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sol-fest-moves-to-the-sunshine-state Fri, 19 Jan 2024 14:07:30 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5871 Well now, isn’t this just a slice of curious? Sol Fest has picked up the...

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Well now, isn’t this just a slice of curious? Sol Fest has picked up the stakes and is heading to Florida. Great gravy said the lady. Speaking for the Suwannee River Pirates, that is a heaping pile of fantastic. We can always use more serious vibration in the sunshine state and why not? The wrangler elite are trained, focused and ready for action. We have trained for this our entire life. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it. Yeehaw, Sol Fest moves to the sunshine state. This is right down our alley.

Sol Fest Music & Arts Festival has announced its expansive Phase 1 lineup for the event’s third annual edition, set to take place from Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5, 2024. Relocating from Bama Slam Waterpark & Campground in New Brockton, Alabama, the four-day music and arts camping experience will debut at its new venue Vortex Spring in Ponce de Leon, Florida, commencing an exciting new chapter for Sol Fest.

Sol Fest 2024’s Phase 1 lineup is a towering roster of artists that expands on previous bass-heavy lineups to include genres across the electronic music spectrum, in addition to some jam acts. Headliners include Canadian producer and two-time winner of JUNO Awards’ Electronic Album of the Year REZZ, two sets from French trailblazer CloZee, and psychedelic bass purveyor LSDREAM. Additional headliners include Canadian duo Bob Moses with a club set, melodic bass maestro DabinHouse Call Records boss Dr. Fresch, British singer, songwriter, and producer Elderbrook, experimental bass wizard G Jones, funk band Lettuce, and genre-blending bass act Of The Trees.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

Additionally, Sol Fest will feature special performances from Barclay Crenshaw, Flowdan and LSDREAM. Claude VonStroke will deliver a highly-anticipated set under his bass alias Barclay Crenshaw featuring Flowdan. The London-based grime MC and record producer Flowdan, who has collaborated with artists like Skrillex and Fred Again.., will also perform two sets, in addition to his performance with Barclay CrenshawLSDREAM will perform a special Lightcode set which is an immersive sonic healing experience featuring original music, guided meditations, and sound baths. Sol Fest will also feature daily waterpark parties hosted by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Two Feet, English drum & bass duo Chase & Status, as well as takeovers from CloZee’s Odyzey imprint and Dr. Fresch’s House Call Records.

Sol Fest: Photo by First Photo 2023.

The lineup for Sol Fest 2024 also boasts a wide array of talented support acts, including genre-blending keyboard/drummer duo Break Science, Atlanta electro-soul artist Daily Bread, a b2b between dubstep kings Dirt Monkey and Smoakland, bass experimentalist Eprom, boundary-pushing producer/guitarist Emancipator, a b2b between groundbreaking producers IMANU and Machinedrum, Denver-based electro-soul artist Manic Focus, drum n’ bass pioneer Netsky, heady bass master Opiuo, a wave music b2b between Skeler and Deadcrow, British producer/singer-songwriter Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set), sound design-oriented bass producer Yheti, and joyful bass queen Maddy O’Neal.

In 2024, Sol Fest will host its event at a brand-new venue: Vortex Spring, the famed freshwater diving facility in Ponce De Leon, Florida. The 500+ acre recreational camping and dive park offers a tropical wonderland perfect for camping, snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming. When attendees want a break from dancing, they can ride the waves down six epic water slides, relax on the beach beside palm trees, or float along the clear blue water spring, pumping out a refreshing 28 million gallons of water everyday. Other activities include underwater cave diving, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding; the grounds also provide a dive shop and general store, where you can get scuba and snorkeling gear.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

The Vortex Spring campground will include shaded pine forest glamping and camping options, in addition to on-site showers, restrooms, and housing. There will also be shaded RV sites with 30/50 AMP hookups and a two-story VIP building with A/C and an indoor and outdoor balcony.

The magic of Sol Fest is rounded out by Sol Sunday: the festival’s annual memorial segment that pays homage to their dear friend Quentin “Sol” Rupp, a passionate festival-goer who passed away at the age of 26. Sol Sunday includes, amongst other things, a special interactive sun lantern effigy burn and slideshow, where attendees can honor those in their own lives who have passed. The spirit of Sol Sunday reflects the ethos that Sol Fest has made its identity: an inclusive, close knit event that from top to bottom represents community, equality, and diversity – including for women and LGBTQ rights.

Sol Fest will also feature live and digital art installations, murals, hologram water screen shows, therapeutic workshops such as breathwork, yoga, and sound healing, as well as other daytime activities and games such as Frick Frack Blackjack, Sonic Portal, disc golf, tie-dying, and body marbling – a list that further highlights the festival’s dedication to emotional and social wellness. Additionally, there will be 40+ food, merch, and craft vendors onsite.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

 

Sol Fest will offer a variety of ticketing and camping options. The standard 4-Day GA Ticket offers a 4-day festival pass with access to the waterslides, swimming, river float zone, and other festival amenities such as the on-site general store, tube rental shop, and daytime activities.

4-Day VIP Ticket holders will have access to a VIP air-conditioned indoor lounge with exclusive VIP only secret sets, concierge & on-site restrooms, VIP viewing at the main stage, air conditioned restrooms, exclusive VIP bar, exclusive VIP entrance, a Sol Fest merch pack, and free showers.

The 5-Day VIP+ Ticket holders get all of the above in addition to breakfast & lunch catering (Fri-Sun), exclusive VIP Lounge balcony access, daily drink tickets, water excursion discounts, and a free Wednesday Waterpark Early Arrival.

For car camping options, the Primitive GA Car Camping option includes (4) nights of camping in a 20×20 space, while the VIP Celestial Camping option includes a 20×20 space in a premium location next to the festival entrance, air-conditioned bathrooms, campground showers, and beauty bars and vendors.

For RV options, the Primitive RV Camping includes 20x 50 space but doesn’t include power, water, or sewage, while the Power RV pass includes a 20×50 space with a power hookup. The Shaded Power/Water RV pass includes a 20×50 space in a shaded mossy oak and pine campground close to the festival entrance and swimming area, a picnic table area, and water and power hookups.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

For Glamping Packages, there is the VIP Glamping Package, which includes (2) VIP 4-day passes, (2) Wednesday early arrival passes, parking for 1 vehicle, and (4) nights in the pre-set bell tent which features a lock, bed with bedding, nightstand, storage, decor rug, and power supply. The Celestial Campground VIP+ Glamping Package includes all of the above, but upgraded to VIP+ passes with all the aforementioned VIP+ amenities.

There is also a Group Camping option – a 4,000 sq foot area of prime camping space for 10 vehicles.

The festival’s previous two renditions in 2022 and 2023 were hosted at Bama Slam Waterpark & Campground in New Brockton, Alabama. In 2023, the festival welcomed over 5,500 attendees from 48 states and 7+ countries. Previous editions have hosted a variety of electronic music acts primarily in the bass music genre including headliners Liquid StrangerZeds DeadMersivManic FocusMinnesotaMr. Bill, and Yheti.

Sol Fest. Photo by DIVISUALS 2023.

Sol Fest 2024 Phase 1 Lineup

Headliners: REZZ, CloZee (2 sets), LSDREAMBob Moses (club set), Dabin, Dr. Fresch, Elderbrook, G Jones, Lettuce (sunset set), Of The Trees

Special Performances
Barclay Crenshaw ft. Flowdan, Flowdan (2 sets), Lightcode by LSDREAM

Support: Break Science, Daily Bread, Dirt Monkey b2b Smoakland, Eprom, Emancipator, Imanu b2b Machinedrum, Manic Focus, Netsky (sunset set), Opiuo, Skeler b2b Deadcrow, The Glitch Mob, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ set), YhetiAxel Thesleff, ChaseWest, Kirby Bright b2b Zeplinn, Maddy O’Neal, hutureprimitive, Vincent Antone

Waterpark Parties (by day)

Thursday, May 2
Two Feet
Michal Menert
Zep (US festival debut)

Friday, May 3
Odyzey takeover (CloZee)
The Funk Hunters
Chimura

Saturday, May 4
House Call Records takeover (Dr. Fresch)
Galo
Neon Steve

Sunday, May 5
Chase & Status
Liquid Smoak
Fury

Visit the Sol Fest website and like their social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and X. The science checks out. Keep up with the wranglers as we continue to fill the dance card with social engagements of the first order for the festival year. Stay in touch. You never call.

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]]> 5871 Spring Reunion Returns to Suwannee https://wookwranglers.com/spring-reunion-returns-to-suwannee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spring-reunion-returns-to-suwannee Thu, 23 Nov 2023 07:24:11 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5587 Announcing the 6th Suwannee Spring Reunion March 21-24, 2024 at The Spirit of the Suwannee...

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Announcing the 6th Suwannee Spring Reunion March 21-24, 2024 at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL featuring Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Steep Canyon Rangers, Peter Rowan Walls of Time Band, Donna the Buffalo, Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders, Bettye LaVette, The Steel Wheels, Town Mountain, Free Range Strange and more. It’s Kamp Happiness, Sloppryland, Poohville, Hobo Kamp, Gainesville Annex and the thugs from Roadtrip Mojo will be out in the woods somewhere. Pass the moonshine and launder your soul. It’s just us. Spring Reunion Returns to Suwannee.
Welcome back to Live Oak, Florida and the birthplace of the wrangler tribe. Since our first MagnoliaFest in 2002, this has been the alpha and the omega. It’s the dancing grounds of La Rosa Nostra, Linda Joy, Moose cubed and the girl with no name. Tread lightly for this is her forest. A place for serious, late-night adventure with Sunnie Rae’s voice lifting up through the Spanish moss at 3:30 in the morning. Watch your step. Music lives here.
Early Bird Tickets on sale now.
Swing into spring in the most spectacular of ways at Suwannee Spring Reunion, taking place Thursday through Sunday, March 21-24 at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, FL. Enjoy four days and nights of music rooted in Americana, newgrass, bluegrass, folk, blues, and more. This family friendly festival is set in the midst of 800 acres of majestic Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, the venue is a picturesque playground for endless activities including swimming, canoeing, kayaking, yoga, and disc golf.
The 2024 Suwannee Spring Reunion features music on multiple stages and includes Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Steep Canyon Rangers, Peter Rowan Walls of Time Band, Donna the Buffalo, Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders, Bettye LaVette, The Steel Wheels, Town Mountain, Seth Walker, Jon Stickley Trio, Fireside Collective, Darrell Scott, Jim Lauderdale, Hattie & Joe Craven Trio, Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, Jeff Mosier Ensemble, The Grass Is Dead, Roy Book Binder, Leon Timbo & The Family Band, David Grier, Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers, Nikki Talley Band, Free Range Strange, Sloppy Joe, Quartermoon, Habanero Honeys, John Mailander: Artist At Large, and Magic Moon Traveling Circus.
“Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, would seem the most unlikely of bluegrass epicenters, but legends and new stars alike flock there every spring for an in-the-know festival,” wrote Rolling Stone’s Garret Woodward.
The lineup includes artists with storied histories of epic Suwannee performances over the years. Matching the history on the stage, longtime park hosts, Randy and Beth Judy, are partnered with the Spirit of the Suwannee to make sure that every piece needed to make an epic weekend. It is home to generations of families who have gathered year after year to experience that shared connection to the music and the commitment to the notion of something bigger than ourselves.
Beth, the Festival Director, says “From the very beginning, in 1997, with our first festival at SOSMP (Suwannee SpringFest), we set an intention of a community of love and healing and music and positive impact on the lives of the people who were there. And we attracted those people who needed that in their lives, and many of them are still coming. The Suwannee Spring Reunion is a new version of the events we began so long ago when music festivals were just starting to pop up again after Jerry’s passing. Springfest and Magfest had changed and evolved over the years and now we are gathering everyone together for the  big reunion and revival of what commenced during those early years.”
“There’s this unique, communal spirit here, where it’s homelike for us,” says Sam Bush in an interview with Woodward, “And you find yourself thinking about some of our brethren that aren’t here anymore, but especially Vassar [Clements] — he ruled this place.”
“‘It was probably around 2004 [when we first played the park],” Steep Canyon Rangers singer-banjoist Graham Sharp tells Rolling Stone backstage at a recent Suwannee Spring Reunion, ‘We’ve been able to trace our band and its evolution through this festival, from being a traditional bluegrass band to being whatever the hell we are now — this place is a natural home for that.’”
They say the stars come out at night. And at Suwannee that is not only true in seeing the clear nighttime skies, but also throughout the park. Many of the festival musicians convene in the campgrounds when things light up at night. The Bill Monroe Shrine, hosted by Quartermoon, and Slopryland, hosted by Sloppy Joe, are open to all who bring their instrument and want to join in. In addition, there are literally dozens of camps, many of them with clever fun names, that have their own style and vibe. Kamp Happiness is one such locality, filled with a bubbling froth of sketchy, sophomoric, fraternization. What they lack in talent, they make up for in volume.
The Suwannee Spring Reunion community has something going on around the clock. That said, if sleep is important to you, there are plenty of camping areas where it’s low key, so sleep is a possibility. No recorded or amplified music is permitted in the campground during this festival, so any music happening is live and acoustic. Find your way to Kamp Happiness for apologetically loud camp fire jams and serious, round table discussions on one of the popular topics of the day.
The Jamwich’s Ashley Feller noted, “I love how these family camps have evolved over the years because now there are generations of people that have come to this festival. People have brought their kids, and these kids have grown up and made offshoots of those original camps. It is just so cool to see the creativity that goes into it. Some of it is like glamping. Some of them are just downright gorgeous.”
Beth expands on this in her interview with The Jamwich, “But the thing about the generations, grandparents have been the first people to come and bring their grandkids, and then the kids come, or it’s the kids and they bring their parents and then they bring their grandkids. The most I’ve seen is five generations. Five generations of families doing things together. And this is not just one family, this is in multiple cases. It’s a family reunion for people. It’s a family outing. It’s part of their life. They plan it, and that is community plus. That’s building relationships and making your life better. If you can do things with your family or chosen family,  that can make your life happier and make the challenges that we all face during the year so much easier to face because you have this support and those people are there for you. The people who come to these festivals are the kindest, most open-hearted, loving people you will ever meet!.”
Jeff Mosier, who had been performing at spring and fall Americana/bluegrass events at SOSMP since nearly the beginning (in the early years with his band Blueground Undergrass), sums it up eloquently in an interview with Live and Listen (2019), “Live Oak is the balm. It heals me from missing Bruce [Hampton], missing Vassar [Clements]. It gives me a chance at 60 to keep it going as long as I can. So far, so good. That’s all you can do – keep writing, creating, doing interviews with folks like you and you doing your writing, that’s what life is – keeping the ball rolling… It’s a special place and it made a huge difference in my kids’ lives. They’re in their 20s, but they started going when they were babies. It taught them everything they needed to know without us having to teach them. It taught them how to be. They decided to be people like the people of Suwannee. And now they’re good people. My little boy used to say, ‘Why can’t the world be like Suwannee?!’. That’s really it. Why not? I think it can. I go there every year in hopes of keeping that going.”
Suwannee Spring Reunion (and its sister festival Suwannee Roots Revival which takes place in October) hold the space for a special couple of music-filled weekends to look forward to and back upon with laughter and love in your heart. Many of the artists look forward to returning each year just as much as the attendees! The atmosphere and the people that gather are uplifting and warmhearted and from time to time, a little silly.
Stay tuned for further news about the daily schedules and a wide range of hand-on workshops on the Music Farmers Stage, sponsored by the festival’s nonprofit arm, Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF). There will also be a raffle to raise money for LOMAF, which is earmarked for music and arts programs locally in North Florida schools.
One program that LOMAF helps fund is Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp which is a free three-day music weekend for kids ages 5-17, held three times a year, where students receive instruction a variety of instruments including but not limited to fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, ukulele, vocals, and hand drums. There is a performance at each Spring Reunion and Roots Revival which often features kids that attend the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp, along with plenty of other fun things for the little ones including an amazing kids zone set accessible back in the woods with crafts, games, face painting, and more!
Tickets are on sale now. Suwannee Spring Reunion offers a multi-day Weekend Ticket that includes festival admission for four days of music, as well as primitive camping on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.  Military and Student discounts are available. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Get your tickets before they go up to the next pricing tier on January 14th. An additional event car pass is required to bring a car into the campground—Advance Car Pass: $15 or $20 at the Gate. For complete ticket information and to purchase tickets, visit here.

SOSMP offers guest comforts including a general store, full service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms, and water stations. Upgraded camping, including RV hook ups and cabin rentals, as well as golf cart rentals are currently on sale. Reservations may be made by calling the Park office at (386) 364­-1683. SOSMP is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia State line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events. Please visit the park’s web site at www.musicliveshere.com for further information.

For more information, please visit the Spring Reunion website. Like their Facebook page and be on the look out for the Suwannee Roots Revival lineup announcement. Visit Spring Reunion “21 from the wrangler archives. For the love of Chris “Hollywood” English. The party never stops. Look for Kamp Happiness near the Bill Monroe pavilion and the animalia of Free Range Strange. Some areas near the Loop and around the horse stables offer a quiet camping option. When choosing where to camp it should be considered that the area around the lake and near the Bill Monroe pavilion has a considerably loud, late-night kind of energy. Bought the ticket, see the show.

The Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024 lineup includes Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Steep Canyon Rangers, Peter Rowan Walls of Time Band, Donna the Buffalo, Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders, Bettye LaVette, The Steel Wheels, Town Mountain, Seth Walker, Jon Stickley Trio, Fireside Collective, Darrell Scott, Jim Lauderdale, Hattie & Joe Craven Trio, Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, Jeff Mosier Ensemble, The Grass Is Dead, Roy Book Binder, Leon Timbo & The Family Band, David Grier, Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers, Nikki Talley Band, Free Range Strange, Sloppy Joe, Quartermoon, Habanero Honeys, John Mailander: Artist At Large, Magic Moon Traveling Circus and more…

Keep up with the wranglers as we stick around the lower latitudes while winter descends on the mountains. Follow us to Gem & Jam in Tuscon and the Florida spring tour with Spring Reunion, Grassroots at Virginia Key and Resonate. So thankful. We love you Sunshine.

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Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23 https://wookwranglers.com/immersion-therapy-at-suwannee-hulaween-23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=immersion-therapy-at-suwannee-hulaween-23 Fri, 10 Nov 2023 14:39:33 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5305 There is a deep creak of rusted hinges as you slowly press forward the ancient...

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There is a deep creak of rusted hinges as you slowly press forward the ancient oak. Curiosity overtakes you and an unnamed force pulls you ever nearer to its alien source. Once inside, you are closer to the din of insane laughter accompanied by a deeper, constant hum coming from even further away. More of a feeling than a sound, it is the thundering boom of bass decks and their resonance traveling through the veins of the earth to enter at your feet and slide right up your entrada gratis. Let go of your fears for this is Suwannee Hulaween and it is the medicine to cure all ailments. Strike man strike! Expose thyself and allow the healing waters of the spring to do their magick. Bienvenido a la fiesta grande. It is fully exposed and completely immersive, and this the circus for which you are looking.

The ten year anniversary the of Full Moon Family Reunion brought everything to the hagglin’ table and produced one of the slickest music festivals of all time. Improving on an already crystalline formula, Hula continues to get better each year and everyone, from the professional cuddlers to the river pirates raised the ante and doubled on the bet. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park fam reached new heights with this addition of the annual Halloween festival and, once again the forests and fields served as a perfect backdrop for the countless adventures and experiences that would materialize under the magical beauty of the cypress trees. The weather was perfect all week in Live Oak reminding us why it’s perfect time for the annual shift to the tropics. For many of the Hulaween faithful, the Spirit of the Suwwannee Music Park is home and in the words of Shanaenae of Free Range Strange, at their Friday set on the Campground Stage, “It’s good to be home.” Let go. Bats aren’t real. Wade in the water. This is Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23. We are not human traffic cones. This is our time. This is our place. This is our story.

Hulaween “23: photo by Aaron Bradley

Immersion/Exposure Therapy? A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear can trigger an immediate anxiety response. Immersion therapy is a psychological technique which allows a patient to overcome fears and can be used for anxiety and panic disorders. How many people at the show can get uncomfortable in large crowds? Get ready to face all of your phobias. Dirt? Loud noises? Ground glitter? Hulaween is bubbling, frothing ready to address all of your psychoanalytic needs and show you how really silly the whole thing can be. Just lie back and let it happen. The doctor is in.

C’mon now. The yoke was never supposed to be that heavy. What would be the point in something like that? Call it creative design but let’s assume the universe was written with more elaborate purpose. Mixed in with the call to arms, there is surely a time for celebration, frivolity and fun. Get out of the head. Do the work. Breath. Stay up all night. Sing. Dance. Let go. Serve. Embrace the ego death. Dip your balls in it. Suwannee Hulaween celebrated its ten year anniversary with a Full Moon Family Reunion that took everything Hula has learned in a decade and rolled it all into one overstuffed burrito of high-science, sharp fun. It was a heaping spoonful of high exposure and data overload, yes and thank you. Your pleasure is my time. The lineup was filled with four straight days of eclectic, gender-bending music, artists, vending, food, friends and loose side adventures.The String Cheese Incident and Pretty Lights anchored a list that included Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Free Range Strange, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, JRAD, Lespecial, John Summit, Dispatch and a metric ton of more. For goodness sake and criminy peat, what else could you need?

Prologue. Lucy and Baitbucket stopped in Rome, Georgia for a few days of stagehand work and were going to be dangerously tardy for homesteading property in the Farm Field. They had somewhere around thirty people coming to camp near the shade of the Poncho Tree so there was definitely work to be done. The Pine and Farm Field is covedeth land and fortunately the greasiest Mexican came Sunday early and worked with Lil d Big Arel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. to rope off some plantation land, near the Titty Kitties (always) and across the street from Mateo and the River Pirates in the Pine Field. Location, location, location. One can just see this place turning into Asheville. Sure to sellout the first chance they get. They come early and like hummingbirds and salmon, return to the same spots every year so they can mate and die. It’s important the Shady Witch of the Panhandle can find Kamp Happiness within the flashing mural of pounding madness. Hippies use front door. You should check it out. It’s pretty inviting. All are welcome.

Kamp Happiness at Hulaween “23: photo by the Hurt Locker

Hobo Kamp homesteaded a sliver of land at the Poncho Tree and set up shop in original Kamp Happiness settlement. The Hurt Locker landed near the bat house crossroads and homesteaded a sizable patch right on main street. Somewhere between Major Malfunktion and Live Oak, there came a tear in her in her inflatable rainbow. Somehow Baitbucket was going to have to shift the blame to Boston and Sam. It would be easy. They were a known pair of degenerates and admitted criminals. Richmond trash book ended the strip with Kiera and Q the Roanoke Mafia at the other end. Thanks to Pedro and Lil d for saving space in the Pine Field which filled up quickly. Thanks to the unpaid, unsung minions who helped people find places to park without upsetting each other or the natural balance. Wednesday is easy when level heads prevail and isn’t it in the best interest of the park that we take an ownership role and become stewards of our own forest? You already know. The math checks out.


From Stephen Barry.
Missed Connection:
To the young lady who thought her tambourine sounded good with all the music performances…
You’re wrong.
Stop doing that.
Don’t call me.

Golf cliches? Rockford’s favorite son, Señor Bitchell, the Chillicothe Kid and Sergeant at Arms for the Order of the Wilted Lilly, showed up with a loose O ring and his usual professional, gitterdun attitude. Evidence would show he was singularly responsible for the lip sore shared by most of the camp throughout the week. Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. He also contributed to Bfly’s cafeteria and along with Q, the first KH Street Kitchen was born. Yes, those petals are soft and edible. Push button, drink beer.
Friends of the Bastard Pedro, Hulaween “23

Wednesday. Data Overload. Encroachment Issues and More…

It was still early in terms of the festival marathon, but there were times Wednesday night when Lucy began to experience slight data overload. All things being said, it was still manageable but she could see that sensory input and waves were beginning to come at her with increased frequency.  She would use breathing exercises all weekend when she needed to control her heart rate or internal temperature. Navy Wook Seal exercises for festival success. Write that down.

 

The eye of the storm. Spirit Lake at Hulaween “23: photo by J.Nail

He was afraid to open the antique suitcase. He could only dare to imagine what was inside? A raping ball of black mambas? Roasted monkey nuts? It was stenciled with their emblem y Mateo. It would prove to be a Linda piano accordion from Italy mixed with a dense black mold that would later and forever imprint his mother’s guest room. It was as wide as a Plymouth and twice as heavy. It was providence that it was always going to end up with Mateo, who ended up with his lightning bolt jacket from Rum 132.

World’s worst ambassador “puts the lotion on the pig.”

Ryan Mason coined the look of the high vis vest. Where did the radios even come from? Who was he actually speaking to? It was connected to someone at Cheese. Love. Sauce. Maybe? Who were they? “It puts the lotion on the pig?” and other hideous, whispering sounds. What did it mean? Audio hallucination had begun to seep into the fold.

Golly. Don’t worry there old chap. It’s not just you. Everyone is having a psychotic episode. It’s all happening at the same time and it’s your turn to push through. Moonspittle approached Pedro’s garbage patch asking for an escort back to Hippy Trail. One of the pleasures of any busy festival is the chance to have one-on-one walks with friends and a little time to visit. The sunrise conversations over gateway specialty cocktails like potato salad coladas and Bloody Marys iced with dirt and ash. Hulaween fancy.

Baitbucket had made a gentleman’s agreement with the neighbors on what would constitute the property line between the two camps. EJ pulled in with hashtag vanlife and ripped back into her usual spot with veracious impunity. Reports that she’d been lost to the loop had been thankfully exaggerated. She was back in the woods with her people. Shortly after, several long recreation vehicles sat blinking in the middle of the fire lane, waiting for someone to move the van, to which EJ and her keys were nowhere to be found. Baitbucket opted to remove himself from the scene and hide at the Hurt Locker on the other side of the field. At precisely the same time, the chicken bus trying to back into a sliver of space behind the Oldsmowagon smashed the pile of Pedro’s possessions with its quarter panel, sending the rest of her junk into the antique grotto and trash emporium. They appeared to be losing control of the area. As so far it had been kept organized and calm but chaos was slowly creeping in. Like Bedouin traders living in a gypsy paradise. Never miss a Wednesday show.

Monroe County thugs at Hulaween “23:

When the shadow people come calling,  through one over your shoulder and help someone find a place to park. There’s room for everyone who uses their inside voice, otherwise your campsite could be the site of a sunrise megaphone meditation of bull whip clinic. Live Oak tribe grew up here. They are the workers, the pirates, the camp musicians. Professional tweakers of the spunion tribe.

Ingress

Wednesday night at Hulaween is the preparty of all functions. As vehicles begin filling in the corners and encroachment issues ensue, patience is a virtue. Chasity (not ChasTity) and her late-night joyrides to the airstrip set the low-bar standard for the entire weekend. She lost her festival bracelet as early as Tuesday? She even took Pedro, Baitbucket and Gandalf the Fuzzy to swipe the production Jolly Roger across town. They were run off by production security but there were still a couple more hours until sunrise and Mexicans don’t sleep.

The Art of the Low Wave and Lost Dreams. Hannah Montana from Cheese. Love. Sauce.? We’ve got some more questions for you cowgirl. Now there is someone with a good head on her shoulders. Finally, someone at that camp that makes an iota of sense. It can be difficult to sleep when one arrives at Suwannee. Lucy had already seen a great deal in the last few days but when asked to elaborate and put words to the memories they just came out in the form of spit bubbles. Dripping from the crusty corners of her mouth and the bloated, yellow tongue lined fresh with sores. Her body was rejecting the witches brew of poisons she was ingesting at previously unheard of rates. They did manage to leave $40 for the coochie couch they popped with their bodaciousness. It was the Hula of lost dreams. Bingo never happened. She never manned the trading post or cooked a single meal despite bringing enough perishable food to feed an army. Katie Majik would have called it the cooler of good intentions.

@everydayresesearch

The White Ninja was hiding in plain sight. They’d camped next to he and the Roberto at Elements and accepted the invite to Hulaween. Good idea Francisco. It boggles the mind how KH could miss Tristan and Cat completely but the White Ninja could run into his ex girlfriend seven times a day. Just lucky I guess. Likely he got tossed and ended up at the Billy Strings/Sierra squared WrestleMania.

Nothing all weekend could ever be as immersive and outlandishly beautiful as Spirit Lake. The Hulaween interactive art area was the most expansive version ever, covering more space and with more to see. Data overload. At times all one could do is sigh and smile with a pleasant sense of disbelief at the immense production value. The Mural Maze, Incendia Stage and speakeasy were filled with all manner of strange and pleasantly warped distractions and it’s easy to see the love put into each attraction.
El Scorpio screamed, “Keep your head on a swivel. There are shoplifters about!” The Circle K? Trading Post was getting picked clean by varmints. It’s an absolute zoo. Dock that guy a day’s pay for nappin’ on the job. Obviously, there’s a chink in the armor. Call security, the thinly dressed therapist needs to be enthusiastically frisked.
2:45
Lucy needed to sleep for a few hours, the voices were getting louder now and the shadow people were closing in. There was a stink coming from her back that followed her around. Do you smell it? It’s like death. If I go to bed for a few hours will it go away? Absolutely sir. Don’t forget, pressure creates diamonds.
Goose at Hulaween “23: photo by Tara Gracer.
The Cheese “Moon” set was a blistering example of what the String Cheese Incident brings to the table Saturday night at Hulaween. Consistently one of the most fun sets of the year, it did not disappoint. Walking on the Moon, by the Police and Spanish Moon by Little Feat were fan favorites in a set filled with fun.
The Soundship Spacesystem Tour. They were strolling calmly to their first-ever Pretty Lights set and as El Scorpio heard the “Midnight Rider/Cocaine” mash up he began running through the vending area waving his arms like a majorette. Through only the braided coincidence that Hula can offer, they all ended up at the Torch party at the letter H. Pretty Lights brought the funkiest of sets turning otherwise normal people into  monkeys. Believe what you want. Sunday was even more hippy perfection as Pretty Lights dropped into a “Shakedown Street” that had the wooks coming out of their union suits and lederhosen. At the Pretty Lights set, Lucy took a spill on the hill near the HULA sign. Your honor, the ground there was simply not level. Sometimes a person takes a fall and fortunately there’s no one around to witness it, this was not like thatin the slightest. She was facing uphill and thumping to that Saturday night set and backed up over a couple ladies that were seated on the ground. The impact was recorded by seismographs as far away as Austin, Texas and all she could do was make a peace offering in the form of her hippy-camouflage pine cone necklace groundscored from Secret Dreams. Baby steps back to the elevator…
Spirit Lake at Hulaween “23: photo by The Hurt Locker

7:50

Seat’s Taken. Did you witness the various iterations of Forrest Gump running around the venue with runner, table tennis, Vietnam, Bubba Gump… all zipping alone through the campsites and coming together in the venue.

At some point he believed the Iceman was trying to smuggle himself in or was lurking about and using the megaphone he put a bounty on his head hoping to influence some kind of man-hunt. It was all for moot. No one was actually listening and subsequently the megaphone was taken away and returned to its rightful owners. Sad face emoji. Tough titty said the kitty but the milk tastes good.


From Matthew Kabb.
Missed Connection:
I’m looking for my Glory hole Whippit Cinderella. I first tried to get anyone’s attention by sticking the nozzle out the VIP fence off Stable Road to no avail. I blurted out “glory hole whippit” to which you responded “seriously” I answered “yes” and you worked your mouth up on my nozzle and took half the canister before finishing it off on a second hit and wandering off into the night. I know it was a anonymous but I need to know, are you out there my Glory hole Whippet Cinderella?

What’s the rumpus? It may have been a rumor but how about Manic Focus covering Rage Against the Machine? Pigeons covering Pink Floyd as the original Monkey King’s favorite set of the weekend? Golly. By this time Pedro likely had sepsis and needed a hip replacement. She was too weak to lift herself from the ball pit and had to be exhumed by Bfly. Her mustache was silted with a fine layer of Daytona dry wall and her left eye had begun to twitch violently.
Baitbucket lost his megaphone when the two hot girls with the tequila took Mateo’s golf cart. He later stole Mateo’s megaphone and covered it with stickers so it would look like his own. Strange how these things happen. Had someone used it, it would have been easy to locate. Stolen or lost, like so much self-respect.
All criss cross, no applesauce.
Uncle Les at Hulaween “23: photo by Aaron Hughes
In the gathering of lovers,
there is no high, no low,
no smart, no ignorant, no special assembly,
no grand discourse, no proper schooling required.
There is no master, no disciple.
This gathering is more like a drunken party,
full of tricksters, fools, mad men and mad women.
This is a gathering of lovers.
– Rumi

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Spirit Lake Announcements for Hulaween “23 https://wookwranglers.com/spirit-lake-announcements-for-hulaween-23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spirit-lake-announcements-for-hulaween-23 Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:01:59 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5295 Suwannee Hulaween celebrates its 10th anniversary by unveiling Spirit Lake’s immersive art programming for the...

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Suwannee Hulaween celebrates its 10th anniversary by unveiling Spirit Lake’s immersive art programming for the first-time ever.

Hulaween’s coveted Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, craftsman, and lighting designers

Spirit Lake’s offerings are typically kept secret ahead of the festival, but Hulaween has revealed its programming in honor of its decade milestone. The festival will feature 10 new installations for the 10 year anniversary.

Musical headliners include festival originators The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Smino, Dispatch, and two sets from electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights

Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida

Tickets are 99% sold out

Suwannee Hulaween will celebrate its tenth-year anniversary from Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023, returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. As one of the last truly independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape and selling out its last five events, Hulaween will commemorate a decade of success with one of the most exciting editions yet.

Headliners for the 2023 edition include six sets from festival founders The String Cheese IncidentTrey Anastasio BandGooseJohn SummitElderbrookBig WildChannel TresLes Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog BrigadeJoe Russo’s Almost DeadSminoDispatch, and an exclusive East Coast festival appearance from Pretty Lights with 2 sets.

Hulaween’s coveted Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations with both visual and performance art, and catch performances at Spirit Lake’s four stages.

To celebrate the decade milestone, Spirit Lake has unveiled a comprehensive list of art programming for the first time in Hulaween’s history. While the festival would typically keep all art programming a secret for attendees until they arrived on-site, this year each artist and art collective will be credited across the festival app, website, onsite signage, and more. There are a number of Spirit Lake classics that will be returning for Hulaween’s 2023 edition including the highly-anticipated daily projection mapping from professionals Jasper & Shelby Mosher.

Hulaween fan-favorite and highly recognized art stage concept Incendia from Cory Glenn will return to once again ignite the dance floor. Serving as one of the stages of Spirit Lake, Incendia’s unique design utilizes a proprietary fire-capturing technique to create an illuminating glow that provides an unparalleled ambiance for the crowd.

The infamous Frick Frack Black Jack led by Marvelous Marv will once again return to Hulaween as the no cash, no limit blackjack game. The Frick Frack brand has grown to land across various festivals across the United States and continues to provide an enthralling and quirky experience for attendees.

The Mural Maze collection originated at the debut edition of Hulaween and has continued to grow in size over the past decade. Sprawling across 15,000 square feet, this installation provides an immersive experience for attendees and exposure and growth for visual artists. This year’s Mural Maze will be led by Ania Amador. This year The Mural Maze is expanding to include lounge and workshop space Deliberate Creation Station, The Gallery displaying artwork, and the Hydration Station.

Paul Kuhn aka Twelve Limbs Art Studio will bring back the highly-captured large-scale sculptural pieces including the Witch, Ogres, The Ferryman, and more.

Duende Builds will bring back the sustainability-built Birdhouses to Hulaween which are crafted from locally harvested natural materials to create something organically beautiful for the festival’s vast art installation display.

Additional returning installations include Thomas Dambo’s The Spider, Efren Rebugio Jr & Chris Robertson’s Haunted House, Ashley Spero’s Spero Totems, Lost Creations’ House of Lost, and Spirit Lake deco design by RÜTS.

This year will feature a selection of 10 brand-new art installations and concepts that will contribute to making this the largest Spirit Lake ever.

Tyler Schrader will debut a double-sided, interactive, wooden LED sculpture known as The Cosmic Portal which will feature 5,000 LEDs with the other side projection-mapped. It is equipped with a device that detects electrical variations of plants, translating them into vibrations, audio, and visual experiences that encourage attendees to reconnect with nature through the use of technology.

Considered ambassadors of Mexico abroad, the monumental Alebrijes are created by mixing pictorial and sculptural elements of contemporary art by the artist Emanuel Zarate Ortiz. These breathtaking installations are meant to honor tales of traditional Mexican storytelling, and inspire spiritually expansive messages to the Hulaween attendees.

Essi Rhodes’ installation titled Chatterpillars will consist of two human-size caterpillars meant to inspire a change in perspective. Fans can interact with the installation by talking into the caterpillar’s mouth so that a friend or stranger on the other side can hear their thoughts, creating a sort of childhood playground nostalgia.

In an effort to recycle those old style tube televisions, Save the TV’s Irregular Scheduled Programming will utilize these electronics to breathe life into a new display that strives to make people think twice before discarding junk and old electronics.

Subloominal & Voxeleyes will showcase interactive bioluminescent mushrooms in their Bioshroom display which are created by growing and foraging real mushrooms that are 3D scanned and digitally sculpted to be 3D printed. The artists then add LEDs and proximity sensors that will lend a unique visual component to Spirit Lake for Hulaween patrons.

Fans can look forward to more installations such as Daniel Shields’ UV reactive Portal Prism, Charlie BlackCat Smith’s flame-infused interactive steel sculpture, The Fleeble Flobbler, Tyson Ayers’ The Sound Cave, Gnome Village Minis from John Grillo, a unique Campground Stage Design from Hannah Miller and Justin Bolognino, and brand design + illustration from Young & Sick.
At the helm of this new era for Spirit Lake is the new Creative Director, Justin Bolognino who is the CEO and co-founder of META. The company creates live, multi-sensory experiences that use technology, design, and storytelling to ignite the human senses and spirit. Bolognino’s previous work consists of designing immersive artistic experiences in collaboration with artists such as Skrillex, Phish, Questlove, Porter Robinson, Tiësto, and many more. In addition to working with musical acts, META also has various brand clients such as Google, Spotify, Samsung, Vimeo, and more. Gearing up for his first Hulaween edition as Spirit Lake’s Creative Director, Bolognino has fortified the classic installations that fans have come to know and love as well as curating 10 additional installations and experiences.

Spirit Lake has become such a vital part of Hulaween’s identity with its staggering list of art installations and activities that keep fans mesmerized year after year.

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Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween https://wookwranglers.com/ten-years-of-suwannee-hulaween/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ten-years-of-suwannee-hulaween Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:38:29 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=4641 Welcome back festivarians to Live Oak, Florida and the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, where...

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Welcome back festivarians to Live Oak, Florida and the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, where on October 26-29, 2023, Suwannee Hulaween descends for the tenth anniversary of this world-famous, slap yo mama good, music and arts festival. How do you like your Cheese. Stringy of course with a funkalicious Saturday dance set and a Sunday afternoon frisbee set. JRAD? Pretty Lights? Something for all the hippies. Live Oak, this is where music lives. Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween. You know what we do here. If you don’t, then find out. Build it. Withers to brisket, with an attention to detail. Dance on it. Use it up and tear it down. Ten years of Suwannee Hulaween. Fiesta de lo extraño. Party of the strange.

When people agree that Hula is their favorite music and camping festival, they say it with a conviction reserved for the few, crystalline certainties. And with pride as lifelong Floridians and Southerners, calling this our home festival and contributing to the ultimate spectacle. Your welcome. Your time is our pleasure.

Spirit Lake, Hulaween “16. photo by Tristan Walsh

A thousand apologies dear reader if the records of these events appear out of sequence. The anachronism can be attributed to ego death and the collateral ilk. Late nights, chemical toilets and sunrise sets. As with all things, time and the Hulaweens coalesce into one long happy, party memory. You’re welcome. Bet.

Kateesha Majik, Hulaween 2017. photo by Lucienda Rosalita

In no uncertain terms, the wook wranglers were born under the shade of the turkey oaks at Hulaween. It was Lil D-Big Arrel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. who first coined the phrase as the hippies passed out in groundscored beach chairs failed to respond to the cracking of the kangaroo whip. Cypher, Quinton, Emma Jay, The Captain, Cheyenne, Clayopheus the Sacred, Fooboo, Thatcher Owen Mullins and all the rest. These are ten years worth of memories and an inkling to the portent of this year’s potential.

Git on wooks!

Anybody that’s been to the Sprit of Suwanne Music Park on the last weekend of October can tell you, it only gets better ever year. Suwannee Hulaween is ready to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary with historic, genre-bending lineup. Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. Goose, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, John Summit, Trey Annastasio Band along with the Cheese set the mark high for this year’s music. It’s more music than one can get to. Check out the rest of the insane lineup here.

Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail

Trinketz VIP Dance Party. We didn’t build the fire. No wait. We sure did. Keep your eyes peeled for Asheville’s favorite sister, Trinket and her amazing dance party. Sorry fellas, you must have the proper lanyard to enter and if you get the green light, please take off your shoes. Look for feathers in her dreadlocks and bones in her nose.

The Triforce. Cheese. Love. Sauce., The Titty Kitties. Hobo Kamp. It all comes together this year in one delicious burrito. Michigan wooks. Adam’s Breath balloons, no deals. This is the ant bed you made. Sleep in it. This was where Emma Jay came into the fold, noob that she was, now an expert festivarian. Look for her renegade vending somewhere deep in the woods with the forest people. These are professional rocket hippies to be sure. “Experienced” campers that know how to skate the fine line between classy and thugish behavior. Let them pave the way and learn from their experience. (Ed. pro tip- Early entry on Wednesday (which is a must) costs $40 with the purchase of a four-day ticket. Every day before that is only ten dollars a day. For $70 Join Kamp Happiness Sunday prior for a few extra days of set up and helping to lay the groundwork for the adventure to come.)

Molly and Shelby, Suwannee Hulaween 2022. photo by Jason Nail

Tickets on sale now right here.

The Roanoke Mafia. Since its inception, the wook wranglers have celebrated their continued membership in the Roanoke Mafioso. Riding mules and hauling their wagons, half of them would come down for MagnoliaFest and the other half would arrive two weeks later for Hula. Octobers are pretty special in Live Oak. They come because it represents a place where dreams come true. Where every fantasy can become real in just a few seconds. Don’t ask how it happens. There is no lost and found for the ego.

Suwannee River Fairies, 2017.

Visit some of the other Hulaween contributions from the wrangler archives like Dance of the Monkey Kings, Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. Explore the interweb and check out our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We will stay in the eye wall of the Hulaween virtual fun as we focus on the artists and other contributors as we gear up for the event. Stay focused grasshopper.

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is an 800-acre campground located on the historic banks of the Suwannee River. Boat launch on site, bring your canoe or kayak and take a stroll along this beautiful cypress tree lined piece of North Florida. Bring the family and enjoy great fresh water fishing, wildlife habitat, or play our disc golf course through the pines and oaks. With miles of trails, hiking, bicycling, and golf cart rides are one of the many great ways to see the outdoors.

Thomas Dambo, Hulaween 2017. photo by Giterdun Turner

Something for every hippy. Hulaween doesn’t know you and she doesn’t care what kind of music you like. She’s going to make a warm poridge steeped with jam band, bluegrass, bass, house, deep house, dubstep, techno, electric, progressive house, electro house, trap, trance, progressive trance, psychidelic trance, yacht rock and divorce core and she’s going to pour it over your face. Get ready. The man thinks he’s going for that Saturday night Cheese show but he doesn’t yet understand the Pretty Lights bass thumping that’s going to leave the decks traveling across the field, up his leg and right into his tan starfish. Your welcome.

Call me Swiss cause I be Cheesin’.

Do not mess around and miss out on the world famous Kamp Happiness Circle K? Trading Post and Hagglin’ Table. That’s right. Five square feet of some of the silliest and most extra-special collectibles this side of a Spanish flea market. When leave one-take one blankets aren’t enough, come to the hagglin’ table where every transaction is supervised by one of our trained staff of professionals. Treasures await you.


Spacebug and Clayopheus. Hula “17. photo by Lance Armstrong

Stop what you’re doing. Hulaween is proud to host the Spirit of Suwannee favorites, Free Range Strange. Sunny Rae, the Savage and the rest of the bunch will bring their high-energy twist on folk, bluegrass and jam-rock to the party. What does the lumberjack say? Wait for his lighting shreddage and the late-night, campfire jams. Don’t sleep on this one. Always a strange time.

Get lost. Don’t be afraid to get lost at Suwannee. That’s part of the fun to get completely turned around in the forest and happen upon all matter of unexpected surprises. Renegade stages, hidden passages and secret rooms. Find your way to The Loop and visit with the beautiful people. Check out the VIPness and make your way down to the river. Monday is a big river day at Hulaween. Don’t be afraid to stay one more night and play groundscore bingo. It’s all out there, you just have to poke around.

Hulaween, one can make anything happen. All you have to do is pretend it and it becomes real. Molly Tuttle talked about it after their secret set in 2022. Few places so easily invite this unusual behaviro where the concept of reality becomes relative and subject to interpretation. Join the collective ego-death over the course of the week and remember what the best version of yourself looks like. It looks good on you.

(Ed pro tip. Take a trip inside the SOS Cafe and Music hall for the breakfast buffet, live music or just a cool place to sit and enjoy a cocktail or a draft brew. It also hosts one of the nicest water closets in the park. It’s right next door to the laundry so you can relax at the bar whilst your clothes get warshed.)

Spirit Lake, Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail 2017.

Spirit Lake. By day the ladies of the Complimentary Bar are flashing their pearly whites and by night, the Frick Frack table draws in the suckers ready to part with their treasures. Gambling is an addiction. Sit a spell with the swamp monster or venture through one of the many art installations that are just ready to blow your mind. Make your way to the Spirit Lake stage for intimate jams and be on the look out for silent disco. It’s an endless parade of fun in every direction and serious adventure awaits.

Location. Location. Location. The park has so many different great places to camp and they all offer something different. Whether it’s with Tristan and Cat in the Renaissance, Moonshine Gary in the cottages, Zach and Emily in the Bird Sanctuary, Tim and Sunny at 80 acres, Billy in The Loop, Matt near the Bat House, Lucy on Hippy Trail, Luke Sidewalker at Spirit Lake, Thatch at the horse stables or Bonnie in the VIPness, nowhere is safe. It depends on what style of camping you’re looking for. Some folks like to get back in the woods, away from the party, giving you the option to join the fray and then retreat back into your sanctuary. Some people like to be in the mix. Kamp Happiness likes to be in the eye wall of the storm and the original settlement around the Poncho Tree near the intersection of the Pine Field and the Farm Field remains. It’s in the shade, not too far from the Bill Monroe Pavilion, where it remains today. Come early and join the fun at 101 Happy St. Anyone that wants to leave can just step over the line.

Thanks again for making the wranglers the Orion Arm’s number one media source for all things wookishly groovy and stupid fun. Join Big Betty at the Hobo Kamp for a heaping spoonful of all the most ridiculous pulp you will find. Join us for our Thursday night house band, “The Tranquilizers” as they struggle to tune their instruments for two straight hours.

 

Felicia,

Ten Years of Hulaween. Has it really been that long? Golly. I remember what we were doing in 2013?  We made love in the phosphorescence at Blind Pass and drank rum drinks at Mermaids before it became a Margaritaville and disappeared with the rest of Fort Myers Beach into Gulf of Mexico. Lance Armstrong joined the ranks of the admitted “users” and President Obama was inaugurated for his second term. Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat Productions brought Hulaween to the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and for the festivarians of the southeast, things would never be the same. This year we party for all those who loved the festival and have gone home to their final reward. Clayopheus, Corporal Turner, Fooboo and so many more. If they could speak from the other side we might hear them singing with the wind and asking us to join in their beautiful song.

Bye Felicia-

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